Joey and Lauren - Always In My Heart
by Alexandra. Xx
Summary: Lauren has doubts about being a mother for the first time while giving birth ... Will Joey be able to help her?


Joey Branning sat in Lauren's hospital room and held her hand very tight, as she was in pain. Lauren had been feeling sick for the past few days with morning sickness and she felt weak and stayed in bed most of the time. Now she needed to be in the hospital; her waters broke. Lauren took in a big breath, trying to cope with the pain that took over her entire body.

"Joey, I can't handle this pain! Please try and make this go away!" Lauren cried, letting tears fall down her cheeks. Joey held her hand even tighter and had a supportive smile on his face.

"Lauren, I know that you're in pain, but you're going to get through this. It's going to be over before you know it" Lauren shook her head, the pain almost killing her by then.

"Joey you told me that, twelve hours ago! Please I just want to get this over with, where is the doctor?!" Lauren almost screamed at the top of her lungs. Right on cue, a youngish nurse with dark blonde hair walked into their room, holding a clipboard.

"Hello Miss Branning, I'm Nurse Anna Rigby, I'll be delivering your baby. Also, seeing as how you've been here for almost twelve hours, we think that the doctors are ready to deliver your baby." Lauren froze in horror. She was going to have her baby soon. It scared her to think that she was actually going to have a baby.

"Excuse me doctor, but when are you going to deliver my baby?" Nurse Rigby looked down at her clipboard and then looked up at Lauren.

"We'll be here in about ten minutes; I just came in to prep you for delivery. I'll be right back, I just have to go and get the other doctors." Nurse Rigby walked out of the room, leaving Joey and Lauren alone in the room together. Joey looked at Lauren and had a smile on his face.

"This is it Lauren…we're finally going to be parents. We're finally going to see our first child together." Troy said, happily. But Lauren said nothing; she was only shaking and trembling. Joey looked at her a little closely and saw that she was crying. But this time not in pain; she was crying in fear. Joey stood up from his chair and he looked at his pregnant girlfriend, in worry.

"Lauren, what's wrong?" Lauren shook her head, tears still falling down her cheeks. She continued to shake and cry as she looked up into Joey's hazel eyes.

"I'm scared Joey." Joey blinked in an uneasy surprise. Since when was Lauren frightened of anything?

"Lauren, what are you scared of? You can tell me anything. I'll try and make you feel better." Joey assured her as he sat on the edge of her mattress, trying to see her perfectly. Lauren closed her eyes and let more tears fall down her cheeks. Lauren didn't know how to tell him without getting him worried or anxious.

"Joey…I don't know if I can do this." Joey blinked hard and looked at his wife confused. He didn't know where she was going with this.

"You don't think you can do what?" Lauren sighed and let more tears fall down her cheeks.

"I don't know if I can handle this pain or if I can be a great mother." Joey blinked, in surprise. Did his Lauren actually doubt being a great mother?

"Lauren, you've nothing to be scared of' said Joey, placing a hand over hers. She had been so excited when she was pregnant, saying that she couldn't wait to meet him or her. She had even picked baby names and had brought lots of cute little outfits before the baby was even born.

Lauren let more fresh tears stroll down her cheeks and she looked into Joey's eyes again and tried to think straight. This is Joey…the man she loved and had kept his promise of never leaving her after everything they been through. They were in a hospital room, she was in pain and doctors were going to be coming in soon…they weren't under the best of circumstances. Lauren shook her head and let more tears fall down her cheeks.

"Joey, this isn't the right time." Lauren said simply, trying to avoid his eyes. Joey couldn't understand why she was hiding this from him. She was his girlfriend and his pride and joy. She was everything to him and he wanted her to be honest with him. Joey took her hand and placed it over his heart. When Lauren saw his eyes, she knew that she got him worried.

"Do you feel my heart? It beats for the most beautiful, smartest, kindest, and strongest woman I know. It was meant to beat for you and it always will. As long as it is beating, I know you're going to be an amazing mother and our child will love you"

Lauren let fresh tears slide down her cheeks, not only because of this conversation but also because she was in pain. She knew that the baby was going to pop soon; she was shaking more than before and the pain hurt a lot more.

"But Joey, I don't know anything about being a mother. I don't want to break down, but I'm just so worried about my relationship with our soon-to-be child. Oh god, I can't handle this!" Lauren couldn't even go on; she broke down sobbing. Suddenly, she screamed in pain.

"OH GOD! THE BABY! JOEY, CALL THE DOCTOR!" Lauren screamed in tears. Joey ran into the hall and started calling for the doctor.

"Hello?! We need a doctor in here now! My girlfriend is giving birth!" Suddenly, Nurse Rigby and all her other doctors came running into Lauren's room. Lauren was about to give birth.

"PUSH!" Nurse Rigby demanded as Lauren pushed. Lauren screamed in pain, not knowing how much longer she could handle this pain. She pushed again, secretly wondering if the pain would eventually kill her.

"AHHHHH! JOEY I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN!" Lauren screamed as she felt her stomach gradually getting smaller. She squeezed Joey's hand very tightly, slightly crushing it in hers. He winced slightly, making her glare at him, "You think that is painful?" He sent his puppy dog eyes at her, but only for her to glared harder at him.

"Hold on Lauren, you're almost done." Joey assured her. Lauren stopped pushing for a moment and then she took a deep breath and began to push again. Nurse Rigby looked at Joey and Lauren and had a very serious look on her face.

"The head is almost out…I just need you to push a little bit harder." Lauren bit her lip hard and she pushed hard, screaming in pain, wanting this pain to stop.

"AHHHH!" Lauren screamed at the top of her lungs, when suddenly she heard a baby's cry ring out loudly through the hospital room and she began to sink into her pillow weakly. Nurse Rigby held the baby and she smiled as she looked at Joey and Lauren.

"Congratulations Mr and Miss Branning. You had a baby girl."

Joey and Lauren smiled with sighs of relief. They got through with their daughter's birth. Once Nurse Rigby cut the umbilical cord, she handed Lauren her new daughter and she held her appreciatively as Nurse Rigby walked out to give them some alone time.

Lauren looked into her daughter's eyes and saw that she had her warm chocolate brown eyes and she had Joey's dimples. She stroked the cheeks of the crying infant, as her tiny hand latched onto the new mother's hand. Maybe being a mother wouldn't be so scary for her after all. She was perfect and beautiful.

An arm slipping around my shoulders reminded me that Joey was here too, and I turned to look up at my boyfriend, who had a look of awe on his face. I shifted the baby closer to him, "Hold him Joey."

He looked nervous, terrified even, but I persisted and gently placed our baby girl in his arms. The baby looked so small in Joey's arms, head cradled gently by one of his large hands. I'd never seen a smile so big cross Joey's face before, and he looked back to me with glassy eyes, "We have a daughter."

Lauren brushed the baby's head while Joey still held him, "Joey, I'm so sorry about before. I never should've doubted that…" Joey lifted his other hand and he laid a finger across her lips. He smiled.

"Lauren, don't even apologize. You're a first time mother and it's normal for you to be scared. But look at what we created together. Our daughter is so beautiful and we get the chance to watch her grow up." Lauren smiled, suddenly comforted. She looked down at their daughter and smile even wider.

Her face was so pink and her mouth opened in a tiny yawn. "Oh, somebody's sleepy," Lauren murmured quietly.

"That makes two of us," Joey said as he gazed on their sleeping angel. "What are we going to name her?"

Lauren looked into Joey's eyes, "What to you think of the name Caitlin?"

Joey sat down, wrapping his arm around Lauren's shoulders and stroking the baby's cheek with his fingers. "Caitlin Branning?"

"Yes," Lauren whispered. "It's perfect." She couldn't even begin to describe the joy in her heart. She had a loving boyfriend, who would do anything for her. She had a perfectly healthy baby girl. Life was perfect!


End file.
